India take on Pakistan in must-win tie

India will have to put behind the disappointment of their back-to-back defeats and come out all guns blazing against arch-rivals Pakistan in their next round-robin match, to keep their chances alive in the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup hockey tournament.

India will have to put behind the disappointment of their back-to-back defeats and come out all guns blazing against arch-rivals Pakistan in their next round-robin match on Tuesday, to keep their chances alive in the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup hockey tournament here.

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India, however, could take heart from the fact that both their previous ties were close encounters. A young Indian side had put up a spirited fight before going down 3-4 to six-time champions Australia in their opening encounter, while a defensive lapse towards the end in the second match cost them dear as they went down 1-2 to South Korea.

Win and a loss
Pakistan, on the other hand, opened their campaign with a 3-4 win against New Zealand before being crushed 0-6 by Australia. After two consecutive losses, the onus now would be on India to quickly fix their grey areas before the do-or-die battle.
Even though India's chief coach Michael admitted the pressure would be immense on his wards against Pakistan he said the players have been advised to take the match “as just another one”.